Samsung Electronics, Union Sign 2026 Wage Agreement After Members Approve Deal

Samsung Electronics Co. and its labor union have formally signed a 2026 wage agreement.

The deal, reached a day before a planned general strike, was approved in a vote by union members. Labor and management agreed to work together to strengthen the company’s global competitiveness.

Samsung said on May 27 that it held a signing ceremony for the 2026 wage agreement with the unions’ joint bargaining group.

The ceremony was held at Samsung Electronics’ The UniverSE in Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Management was represented by Yeo Myung-gu, vice president and head of the People Team in Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions, or semiconductor, division, and Vice President Kim Hyeong-ro. Union representatives included Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Electronics branch of the Samsung Group Union Alliance, and Kim Jae-won, director of policy planning at the National Samsung Electronics Labor Union.

Samsung and the unions reached a tentative wage agreement on May 20, one day before the union’s planned general strike.

Union members then voted from 2 p.m. on May 22 until 10 a.m. on May 27.

Turnout reached 95.5%, with 73.7% voting in favor, giving final approval to the tentative agreement.

With the wage talks concluded, the company plans to accelerate efforts to stabilize operations and advance its semiconductor supply chain.

Yeo said at the ceremony that labor and management would unite to bolster global competitiveness, starting with the wage agreement. He thanked the union and employees for staying at the table through the end and negotiating in good faith.

Choi said the negotiations had left some points of disappointment, but the two sides reached a meaningful agreement after prolonged talks and discussions. He added that the union would keep working to improve employees’ working conditions and strengthen their rights.

Park Sang-kyung, Hankyung.com reporter highseoul@hankyung.com